Skip the QRA?

Quantitative risk analysis (QRA) has become a standard tool in the process safety industry. The results of QRAs are often used to inform design and operating decisions. QRAs combine consequence and frequency predictions for a wide range of scenarios to generate detailed risk data about the facility, layout, and design. On the other hand, the time, effort, and coordination that is necessary to complete a QRA can consume important resources. Are there other ways to extract similar information without performing a complete and comprehensive QRA? There are a number of tools, such as risk ranking, process hazards analysis (PHA), consequence analysis, and others that are available, and often are less resource intensive. These tools can provide insight into the hazards and relative risk present at a hazardous materials facility. This paper explores other tools and methodologies available to provide results in place of a QRA and then compares the utility of these tools to the information that is generated in a QRA.